AURORA, Colo. — Aurora police arrested a 34-year-old man and took him to the Aurora Detention Center early Sunday morning after investigators say he fired a gun at an ambulance.
Nokolas Otvos faces charges of attempted murder and arson related to the fire in the 4200 block of South Kittredge Street.
First responders initially went to the house fire near East Quincy Avenue and South Chambers Road after someone called and reported Nikolas Otvos ran out of a burning house, holding a gun.
While Aurora Fire Rescue was working to put out the fire, an ambulance arrived and the man immediately shot at it, police said.
According to an arrest affidavit from Aurora Police, employees in the ambulance said the bullet traveled through the front windshield of the ambulance and became embedded in the dashboard.
"If it had been approximately one inch higher it would have traveled over the dashboard and struck [an employee] as he was driving the ambulance," court documents say.
Officers responded to the area to assist. One officer deployed a Taser - hitting Otvos - but it was not effective, according to court records.
Otvos was hit with a Taser several times without effect, and he dropped the gun and was taken into custody after an officer fired two foam rounds at Otvos, the affidavit says.
No victims were found inside the burning house. Investigators found a handgun case in the common area of the basement on a desk that was next to an open gun cabinet.
Investigators interviewed the homeowner who said Otvos has mental health issues and that he was supposed to be taking medicine, but he did not believe Otvos had been taking that medication. The homeowner said he and his fiancé were not home at the time of the incident.
The Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office said Otvos pleaded guilty in March to one count of menacing in a case from December 2022.
Based on information from the arrest affidavit, this story previously indicated that Otvos had been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial in that case; however, the DA's office said that information was incorrect.
A different homeowner said he owned a handgun, and it was now missing from his residence. The homeowner told officers Otvos had lived at the residence for about two months.
According to court documents, there were four sources of fire and investigators believe it was deliberately set. Two sources of the fire were in Otvos' bedroom. Smoke detectors had been removed from the ceiling, according to the affidavit.
A neighbor reported a bedroom window exploded outward.
Otvos is set to appear in court Thursday morning where formal charges are expected.
